30″x30″; collage on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Tropical Treasures
at Stefani Art Gallery in Salem, Oregon, USA
5-30 September 2025
Where paradise is built from paper—and stories emerge from the surface. Eileen Downes transforms everyday printed paper into radiant visions of the tropics. In “Tropical Treasures”, the acclaimed “layerist” invites the viewer to experience a vivid world where color, texture, and emotion come alive through intricately torn fragments of magazines, maps, packaging, and printed ephemera. More than a visual escape, this exhibition is a masterclass in the art of storytelling through collage.
30″x30″; collage on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
From lush botanical vistas to tranquil oceanic dreams, each work invites close inspection—revealing unexpected phrases, hidden meanings, and a richness that grows with every glance. Downes doesn’t paint in the traditional sense—she “paints” with paper. Her technique, developed over decades, involves layering hand-torn pieces of printed material with careful precision and intuitive freedom. She works from the inside out, allowing each composition to evolve organically, blending image and text, color and negative space, clarity and abstraction. In “Tropical Treasures”, these lush collages radiate warmth, memory, and a deep reverence for the natural world. Viewers are encouraged to look closely—not just at the image as a whole, but at the layers that form it: a snippet of a headline, a scrap of a travel guide, a shadow of vintage type.
(text adapted from material provided by the artist)
INFORMATION
Stefani Art Gallery
305 Court Street NE
Salem, Oregon, 97301 USA
(971)458-3432
Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-5PM
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